Recaro rejoices as Qantas receives first A380

GERMAN seat manufacturer Recaro was among the leaders of the revels today when Qantas took delivery of its first Airbus A380.

The Schwaebisch Hall-based company is supplying the third A380 operator with economy and premium economy seats for the 20 aircraft that it has on order. The airline has chosen to oufit its aircraft with four cabins, seating 14 in first-class, 72 in business, 32 in premium economy and 332 in economy. This compares with an Airbus standard configuration of 525 seats in three classes.

The first Qantas A380 is due to arrive in Sydney on Sunday. First commercial service, on Melbourne-Los Angeles, is set for October 20, with Melbourne-Los Angeles following on October 24. Early subsequent destinations include Singapore and London.

Economy passengers will benefit from the space-liberating single-beam design of Recaro’s CL3610 seat, which results in a slimmer profile. “Qantas has given us the opportunity to present the CFK version of our innovative and lightweight Comfort Line 3610 economy-class seat,” Recaro chief executive Axel Kahsnitz said at today’s delivery ceremony in Toulouse. “For the first time we are featuring carbonfibre-reinforced components in a seat’s outer surfaces.”

He continued: “Qantas has even ordered the CL3610 as crew rest seating, a job usually assigned to business-class designs.”

Recaro is scheduled to deliver nearly 2,000 CL3610-type seats in over 30 varieties to Qantas this year. “This contract represents a breakthrough for our single-beam concept,” said Kahsnitz. “And we’ve already begun to work on the next generation - the CL3620 will be even lighter while affording the same amount of comfort and living space.”

Making its debut in premium economy on the upper deck of the Qantas A380 is the Premium Line 3510. This is designed to bridge the gap between economy and business-class levels of living space and width, while also featuring a lighter structure. Recaro is to supply Qantas with about two hundred PL3510s this year.

* A380 launch operator Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of its sixth aircraft out of a total of 19 on firm order. It will enter service tomorrow on Singapore-London, supporting a second daily flight between the two cities. The airline also flies A380s daily from Singapore to Sydney and Tokyo.